Dragonborn Darkness
by Reviewthis18
Summary: Skyrim, 4E 201. With Alduin dead, the Dragonborn is t the peak of his glory, but Vengeance will drag him into darkness. The following is a tale of a fallen hero, a broken man, and a twisted avenger.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I trust that you have heard of me; I am Siglak son of Lorik Fox-tread. By my hand was Alduin slain and the world spared from doom. That was a chapter of my life that any bard shall sing, yet there are things that bards will leave unsung. Indeed, this tale would likely be lost to history if I were not to tell you now of my guilt and the dark deeds that I have done.

With the threat of Alduin gone, old thought began to return. True, I had taken comfort in seeing my dead friends and family in Sovngarde, but it was not enough. Those who had caused their deaths were still alive and well. Only Rulindil had met his well-deserved death. I did not think that all of the guilty would be punished; surely I could not punish the Thalmor leaders, nor could I punish the Emperor for signing away his people's rights. The latter of these is the topic of our tale, and so too is the price I paid for vengeance.

For a while I tried to live a quieter life; I bought a house in Whiterun and started working again at War Maidens, but my heart was still restless. I felt troubled every time that Idolf Battle-Born walked by in his damned Imperial uniform. Every time that I herd Hiensker try to remind the people that the Thalmor were still in Skyrim, I wanted to do something about it. So one day I took my Katana—which the Blades gave me after Dragon's Bane was lost in the fight against the World Eater—and shield. "Are you leaving?" Lydia positioned herself at the bottom of the stairs so as to block my path. "I knew it would come eventually; it's why you came back to Skyrim after all."

"I can't stand idly by while Skyrim Bleeds, and the Empire does nothing about it," I said, but then I smiled as a thought came to me. "You could come with me Lydia; together we'll be the best Stormcloaks to ever take the blue."

"Are you ordering me to?"

"No. Why or how could I?"

"You're my thane; if you ordered me to, then I would be duty bound to do so."

"You have never been a servant to me Lydia. I have never wanted you to be. Follow your heart; it's served you well so far."

"I have to follow Siglak; even if you do not order me to come with you, I must see to your safety. If you want me to stay, then you have to order it."

"I order you do as you wish."

She stepped to the side and let me pass. "I will follow you Siglak. Not as a thane, but as a friend."

"I would not have it any other way."

The road was long, but Lydia was good company to have. She often seemed to be cold and quiet. When there were others around, she would eye them suspiciously and speak as little as possible. In that way, she was the best kind of Nord. At first she wouldn't trust people, but like many Nords, trust was something you had to earn. When you earned it, she was very pleasant. That's not to say she still didn't have a commanding presence, and a disciplined, hard expression that reminded me of an anvil in terms of strength. But there were those moments when she opened up to those lucky few that she did trust.

"So tell me again about Sovngarde." She had asked a dozen times about it, and how could she be blamed? It was what all Nords strived for. But there was something in particular she wanted to hear about.

"Your father looked well. He was as strong as he was in his days as the Captain of the Guard." Lydia started to laugh softly. "What is it?"

"Remember when I first started training you with the sword?"

"Are you thinking about…."

"Did he really lock you up?"

I nodded. "He had his guards arrest me and drag me to the dungeon so he could ask me what I was doing with his daughter."

"Say it again, will you? You say it so well."

I tried to make my voice sound deeper and more imposing like Crofta's, and I leaned closer to Lydia so that I was right in her face. "You listen to me, blacksmith boy; if my daughter wishes to train you in swordplay, so be it, but place even a single foot wrong, and I will lock you in here until your arms are too withered to hold a hammer, let alone a sword."

Lydia took a step back and laughed. "And the funny part was, he told me you whimpered like a child."

"I did no such thing. I merely told him that I did not think of you in that way and that we were merely training together…and even if I did…perhaps…make a sound similar to that of whimpering, could you blame me? Your father could scare a troll away just by glaring at it. What's worse, he didn't seem to believe me, and so I feared for my safety for a few moments."

"Can you blame him? It must have been hard after that night." She stopped laughing. "Do you remember that night?"

I stopped dead in my tracks. How could I forget that night? She was praying to Talos for strength by the old gilder green. I had come to pray too, and when she asked me what I prayed for, I told her that it was a prayer of thanks, for fortune, family, and friends. I said that Talos had been good to me, and I mentioned her as a friend that I was blessed to have. She said that she felt the same, and the very air around us seemed listen as the chirping of night time insects softly sounded and the hovering torch bugs appeared to watch and wait for what could have happened next. We stood close together, but as close as we came, we didn't quite touch that night, and it was the most we ever dared to test ourselves. "I remember that night well, Lydia."

"So what happened at that moment? We both knew what almost happened."

"I don't know Lydia, but that was so long ago."

"I guess things change. At least I like this new you well enough." She cracked a smile. "Though I'm afraid that this Dragonborn business is going to go to your head." The smile was short lived, and for the rest of the journey, I tried not to think of that night. For years afterwards, I merely told myself that what had happened was a brew of curiosity and passion. Perhaps it was better that discretion had stepped in before we acted like young fools. With all the things that would come later in my life, I hardly had time for anything of the sort.

It was late when I entered the city; by this time, I could hardly assume that anyone would be awake at the palace. So Lydia and I stayed at the inn for the night and we had a few mugs of mead while I listened to a few good rumors. One in particular caught my ear though. "Did you hear about the Arentino boy?" The innkeeper asked me.

"I couldn't name you ten people in this town, much less know their business." I chuckled.

"He ran away from the Riften orphanage and came back here."

I took a deep drink from my mug; I had a special sympathy for orphans, having been one myself. "What brings the boy back here?"

"That's the strange part." She leaned closer and whispered softly into my ear. "Rumor has it that he's preforming the black sacrament."

I raised an eyebrow, both actually. "What would he want with a cut throat assassin from the Brotherhood?"

"I can't say I know, but it can't be good," The Innkeeper replied. I nodded, thinking it over. The boy was likely angry and confused, and he was certainly all alone if no one knew for sure what he was doing.

"Poor boy needs help it seems," Lydia said, very casually.

"Does he now?" I knew what she was up to, but it was a distraction that I wanted no part in.

"I wonder where he'll get it. With the war going on, all of the heroes are probably busy."

"It seems that way to me." I was so close; Windhelm Palace was within reach.

"And with the temporary peace going on, who knows how long the war will go on."

"I guess so." She made a good point, or suggested anyways. It was not like I was going to miss the whole war.

I slept on the thought, and in the morning, I decided to see for myself what was going on. I had waited quite a while to join the Stormcloaks, so surely another hour or so would not hurt.

The lock on the door was easy enough to pick, and people seemed to avoid the house, making it easy to go unspotted. Lydia waited outside to watch for the occasionally passing guard. "Die Grelod die!" That shout greeted me as I walked up a small flight of stairs and found the young black haired Arentino boy tapping a dagger against the floor next to a skeleton, a human heart, and a purple peddled nightshade flower. It all sat in a ring of candles, and the boy chanted, "Sweet mother, sweet mother, send your child unto me, for the sins of the unworthy must be baptized in blood and fear." Then he must have heard my footsteps, because he whirled around quickly. "It's you, I knew you'd come." He cheered excitedly.

"Listen child, I'm not who you think I am," I said.

"What? Of course you are. You're from the Dark Brotherhood, and you're here to because I performed the black sacrament, with the bones and the other things."

"Why in Oblivion would you want to summon a damned assassin?" I was still baffled by the heart on the floor; a set of bones could be taken from the hall of the dead, but a fresh looking heart?

"My mother died a while ago." The boy whimpered. "I had to go live in the orphanage in Riften. It's run by a mean old lady name Grelod the Kind, but she's not kind, she's mean. But now that you're here, you'll kill Grelod the kind." The way that boy looked at me was horrifying. He was trying to hire me as a killer, and the candle light on his pale face illuminated an expression of such joy. The child needed guidance, but I could hardly be the one to give it. At the time, I thought that his hate for Grelod was merely misplaced grieving for his mother, and perhaps this Grelod woman was quite nice. It mattered little though; this boy was intent on killing her, and she needed to be warned before a real assassin showed up. I decided that I would go to Riften, but it would be to tell this Grelod what the boy planned. With any luck, she could evade the eventual knife in the dark.

A little gold paid mine and Lydia's way to Riften in a quick carriage. What an odd contradiction this city was when compared to how unalike it was to the land outside the walls. In autumn, the oaks and maple color themselves in brilliant reds and oranges and yellows; the pines hold their green, yet it blends well with the other colors that surround it in a brilliantly beautiful mix. Deer, elk, and rabbits run through the woods with an intense haste as winter would soon be upon them. The very air smelled like the splendor of nature. And yet, there was Riften; it was, in those days, a pit of serpents. Apart from the obvious Thieves Guild that inhabited the city, of which I once aided in exchange for the location of Esbern the Blade, there were the Black-Briars.

How does one describe that wicked family? Upon my first time entering the city—after the guards nearly shook me down for what they called a 'visitor's fee'—I was confronted by a thug who warmed me to stay out of the Black-Briars' affairs. That was the least of it though; I could not forget that Maven Black-Briar was a guest at the Thalmor party which I had infiltrated. Now she was the Jarl of Riften; a woman who was said to have ties to the Dark Brotherhood and the Thieves Guild, and she was now officially in charge of the city.

There were some honest folk in the city. Certainly the Argionans who ran the inn were good people, and the merchants seemed fair enough. I had assumed that this Grelod would be the same way, just a poor soul trying to make it in a city of thieves. I opened the doors to find something quite different.

"Those who shirk their responsibilities will get an extra beating. Do I make myself clear?" The thin, grey haired woman looked over the children with pure contempt.

"Yes Grelod." They all answered in unison.

"And I will hear no more talk of adoption; nobody needs you, nobody wants you, and that is why you are here, and why you will always be here until you come of age and get thrown out into that wide horrible world. Now what do you say?"

"We love you Grelod; thank you for your kindness."

I was filled with indignation at this woman as she dismissed the children to go do their chores. The Arentino boy truly wasn't joking when he said that she was not kind. For a moment, I considered walking away, and letting an assassin from the Dark Brotherhood come for her, but I decided against it; as horrible as she was, she should at least get fair warning. "Excuse me miss," I said, "I would like to discuss something with you."

"Are your ears useless, or your brain?" She said, her mouth twisting sourly.

"Excuse me?" I said raising my eyebrows.

"I just said that the Children aren't up for adoption, and besides, why would you want any of them? Tomon!" She shouted, and a little Imperial boy stepped forward. "Tomon is the most useful brat here, and he's still worth less than a mangy stray dog. Isn't that right Tomon?"

The boy never looked up from the ground as he softly mumbled, "Yes Grelod."

"Get back to your chores!" She shouted at him before slapping him upside the head.

"Excuse me sir." I turned to see a dark skinned woman with long black hair motioning for me to come over to her. She led me to her small room and closed the door behind her. "The children aren't up for adoption." She whispered softly and still eyed the door expecting Grelod to open it.

"What a vile woman." It took effort not to outright curse. "How could someone like that take care of children?"

"Grelod is old and set in her ways. She doesn't know any other way to take care of them." The woman opened the door to the room then led Lydia and me to the exit and motioned for me to leave. "Now if that is all, please be on your way; Grelod hates, _visitors_."

I stopped in the doorway and said to the young woman, "Her cruelty will be the end of her." _It already is the end of her,_ I thought to myself. Any desire I had to save that woman's life was gone; now, it had been replaced with a desire to end it myself.

That night, after Lydia was asleep at the inn. I picked the lock in the orphanage and crept quietly to Grelod's room, with my dagger drawn. I was one step away from standing beside her when the floorboard creaked and the old woman began to raise her head. Quickly, I clapped my hand over her mouth and began to stab into her chest, then my hand slipped for only a second before I covered her mouth again. But alas, in that one moment she let out a slight cry. It did not matter though, as it did not wake the whole of the orphanage, just one child.

Tomon was the only one that woke up as I tried to sneak out, leaving Grelod's body there to stain the blankets with her blood. He looked at me, and then to Grelod's room. I just put a finger to my lips. He would not recognize me with the cloth rapped around my head, but even if he did, I had a feeling he would not tell anyone what he had seen.

Did I shed a tear for this woman? I did not then, and I shed none now. What I would come to regret though was what would come after, for this was my first leap towards the darkest days of my life. Soon after returning to Windhelm, I received a letter. The courier did not know who had written it, and it only said, "We Know".

 **Here is the third installment of the Dragonborn series. I apologize for taking this long to get this sequel uploaded, but with the summer here, I now have plenty of time to upload and write. I hope you guys enjoy.**


	2. Chapter 2

Falling asleep at the inn was only the start of the nightmare. I had many similar dreams since returning to Skyrim, but this one was unique. As in other dreams, a quiet raspy voice called to me, but before now, it had called for me to follow it. Now it told me something different. "Tonight you will be reborn, and your new sister will be the midwife of your coming. Awake."

Instead of the black empty void that had surrounded me up to that point, there were wooden walls and a bed beneath me. I was not sure that I was truly awake for a moment. I was horrified to see that s _he_ was here. Dressed in red and black, that woman was here, the one who had appeared in my dreams before. Her face was covered, but those same cruel dark eyes burned with a sick sense of pleasure.

"Finally awake. Good." Her voice was a haunting mix, alluring and yet vicious. It was truly a sound to match her eyes. She sat atop a shelf that stood in the corner of a one room shack.

"Where am I?" I felt around and found that my weapons were still there. Gently I rested a hand on my Katana's hilt.

"Does it matter? You're warm, safe, and still very much alive, which is more than I can say about Grelod."

My hand closed around the hilt, but I did not draw yet. If there was anything that I had learned from those dreams, it was that this woman was more skilled with a blade than I was. "You know about that?"

"Half of Skyrim Knows; an old crone dying in her own orphanage tends to get around, fast." She gave a small laugh, "Don't get me wrong, it was a good kill, but there's a slight problem." She paused expecting me to ask her about it, but I just gripped my sword hilt tighter. "You see, Grelod was, by all rights, a Brotherhood contract, yet you took it from us." She tilted her head towards the far end of the room. "These three here will help you repay us."

On the ground knelt three people with sacks over their heads; one wore leather armor and looked very strong. The next one over was a woman in a rough yellow dress. The last person was a Khijit in fine orange clothing. "You want me to kill three people for stealing a single contract?"

She shook her head. "No, just one of them. One of them has a contract on their heads, and you're going to kill them."

"I killed Grelod because those children were better off without her; I'm not some murderer for hire."

"Fine then, don't kill anyone, but remember, no one leaves this shack until somebody dies."

I looked her over for a moment; she tried to look relaxed, like she was paying me little caution, but I knew better. I had heard of the Dark Brotherhood before; supposedly they were all magnificent killers. Somehow I doubted that she was an exception, due in no small part to the weapons that I had. I found it hard to believe that she would be so stupid as to leave me my sword if she didn't think that she could easily kill me. Likely, she could strike me down before I could even draw my blade. Thus, killing her was not an option, yet.

I walked over to the captives; at least I could act compliant until I could think of something. The armor clad man was first. "Who are you?" I asked.

"I'm just a soldier; well a sell-sword really." The man sounded frightened for a warrior. Still, a sell-sword could even the odds a bit.

"Would someone pay to have you killed?" I still needed to stall for time, make the assassin think she was safe.

"What? Oh Gods! I don't want to die!" The man sounded too panicked to be of any use.

"Tell me, and this can go easy." I tried to sound calm, but truly, I was a mix of frustration and a bit of worry. Now I needed a new plan to deal with the assassin.

"I, I don't know. I've been selling my sword arm for years now; could be that someone wanted revenge. But you're not going to kill me, right?" His breath quickened as he swung his head from side to side trying to see me through the bag.

I could likely have gotten more use out of the next captive. The woman in the yellow dress was a mother, trying to raise her children alone in Skyrim. By Shor, she had a hot temper and little fear when I suggested that someone paid to have her killed. If I thought she would be skilled in a fight, I might have untied her. "If this bag wasn't on," she declared, "I would spit right in your face."

I was still trying to think of a way to kill the assassin when I began to speak to the Khijit, but he was different from the other two. When I asked him who he was, he said he was an "obtainer of goods, taker of lives, and defiler of daughters." He sounded like a smuggler to me.

"What kinds of goods do you 'obtain'?" I asked. Depending on his answer, he might have been of use to me, after all, he did say he was a taker of lives. Perhaps he was a pirate of sorts.

"Most things contraband, like moon sugar or skooma. Sometimes I transport these goods as well as obtain them, though transporting people is much easier."

My eyebrows raised at that last part. "What kind of people." It was just a hunch, but I needed to know.

"Many types; most commonly, it's the 'heretics' that the Thalmor want." He said it so casually, as if it was completely normal.

Without another word, I drew my blade. In one swift motion, I sliced through the bag and into his face. He writhed around as all people do when in mortal pain; I needed only to slit his throat and it would end, but I didn't. I let him suffer, as I had suffered.

There was no point in plotting against the assassin now; by her rules, I could go free. "Someone has died, now let everyone else go."

She gave a small chuckle and a nod. "So the conniving Khijit, good choice."

"He deserved to die for what he did." I said, wiping he blood off of my blade.

"So do many other people, and I can point you in their direction; all you need to do is listen for a moment." I don't know what madness possessed me, but I did not stop her right there. "Just west of Falkreath is a door, a door marked with a skull. The pass phrase is, 'silence my brother'. A killer like you would do well in the Dark Brotherhood."

I shook my head, pushing away thoughts of hate and anger. "I killed because he needed to die, I am not a contract killer."

"I think I understand." The woman said. "Perhaps the names of others you seek to kill will be assigned to us; at that point, wouldn't you like to be the one to kill them?" I didn't answer because she had a good point; with a war like this going on, odds were that someone would call for the death of Imperials, or better, Thalmor. "You don't have to answer me now, but think on it. Come join me, and I'll help you kill them all. Everyone who ever wronged you, they will know the full depth of your fury, and none shall escape. Come follow me, and I will make you an instrument of justice."

 _This is what you were meant for._ The voice from my dreams echoed through my waking mind and it was bitter sweet music like Rulindil's screams. _You are born again, now be who you were born to be._

I didn't need to think about it. The song that the two voices sang was all that I could hear. I wanted to make all those who were responsible for what happened to me, suffer. The promise of it being reality was too much to turn away from. And that is how it came to be that the noble Dragonborn became an assassin for the Dark Brotherhood, yet, my descent into darkness was only just beginning.


	3. Chapter 3

Five months after joining the Dark Brotherhood, I had changed almost entirely. I had learned a great deal more about sword play, and more importantly, about archery. Where I was once so poor a shot that I could not hit a mammoth had it been right in front of me, now I was, at least, a descent marksman. More important than both of those though, was my ability to move like a shadow in a dark room. Astrid, the woman who had first kidnapped me in the night, taught me that skill best of all. She said that being unseen was an assassin's greatest weapon. I became drawn to this woman who once filled me with fear. At first, it felt like a deal between us. She would teach me to be a better killer, and point me in the direction of the guilty, while I, in turn, would kill for her. As time went on, she became my mentor, for better or for worse.

My lethal skills were not all that had changed. Over the course of these five months, I had acquired a heightened lust for blood, but not just any blood. Nearly every moment that I spent in training, was also a moment spent thinking on those, whom I felt, still needed to die. First and foremost, were the Thalmor leaders. Then there were the justicars, followed by Emperor Titus Mede II. The last seemed as far-fetched as the first, but I still thought on it anyways. It was like a little fantasy for whenever training wore on me. The thought of that Imperial fool's head rolling off of his shoulders took away my fatigue.

The Dark Brotherhood had taught me many things, and in time, they came to call me brother and think of me as a part of their family. Secretly, I cared for none of them, except for Astrid; they were not family to me, rather, they were just a means to find contracts and help me to hone my skills as a killer. Surprisingly, there were no contracts that allowed me to go after Imperials. It seemed that the peace still stood, and the war still gave pause, if only for now.

Then, one day, _she_ arrived. The Night Mother's corpse, all wrapped in her iron coffin. I didn't think much of Cicero; he was a mad fool who kept the Night Mother safe, nothing more.

Astrid thought the fool needed to be watched more closely. I was assigned to this task, though I couldn't say why. Perhaps Astrid really did trust me, and thinking it over, why not? I felt that there was a solid relationship between us. I would kill for her, and in return, she would teach me how to fight with greater ferocity and skill. In truth, all she needed to do was ask. So I agreed to hide in the Night Mother's coffin. I did not see what harm an old dead corpse could do.

It turned out that Astrid was right to be worried. Cicero was trying to sway the members of the Dark Brotherhood to him and the Night Mother. He talk to that wretched corpse and I thought he was crazy. Then my blood went cold as I heard a familiar voce coming from that body. _Poor Cicero, he is a faithful child._ Those words echoed in my head, but they were not my thoughts.

"You never speak sweet mother." Cicero moaned.

 _Oh but I do speak, I will speak to you._ That voice was the same raspy sound that I had heard in my dreams so many times before. I was frightened for a moment, but then I understood perfectly. Somehow, this creature had planned this all along. I had heard Astrid speak of the Listener; supposedly, he would be the only one to hear the Night Mother's voice. _Tell Cicero that darkness rises when silence dies. Do this, and then speak with Amaund Motierre in Volunruud._

At that moment. The iron doors to the coffin swung open and Cicero shouted in anger. "Defiler! Explain yourself!"

I met him gaze for gaze and calmly said, "The Night Mother spoke to me."

"You lie!" He screamed frantically, "The Night mother will only speak to the Listener, but there is, no, Listener!"

"She told me that 'darkness rises as silence dies'." I gripped the dagger at my hip, but Cicero no longer seemed hostile.

Cicero's mouth nearly hung open for a moment. "She said that? She said those words, to you?" I nodded.

Astrid came running in. "What happened? I heard Cicero shouting and I feared the worst."

Cicero laughed. "I spoke only to the Night Mother, but she would not speak to me. Oh no! She speaks only to the Listener."

"What is this fool talking about?" Astrid eyed Cicero and tightened her grip on her dagger. Preparing to draw it at any moment.

"It's true, he was only talking to the Night Mother." I withheld the part about his attempts to sway members of this sanctuary to him. I was not so loyal as to choose a side in this.

"What is this about a Listener?" She asked.

"Apparently, I'm the Listener. Oh yes, and the night mother has ordered me to seek out a man in a place called Volunruud."

Astrid thought it over for a moment and then shook her head. "No. I'm the Speaker of this Sanctuary, and for now, you answer to me. Go see Nazir for more contracts; I need to think this over."

I truly can't remember who I had to kill next, only that my thoughts were filled with the sound of that raspy voice. Why was I chosen as Listener? To this day, I still do not know. All that I do know, was that it set me on a path that would lead me to the darkest hour of my life.

When I returned to the sanctuary after completing Nazir's contracts, Astrid was waiting for me. She had decided that we should follow the Night Mother's authority. Even this early on, I could see the unrest that Astrid felt, but I could not possibly have predicted how it would end.

Blind to the consequences of what I was about to do, I went off to Volunruud to meet this Amaund Motierre. The man seemed the typical Breton noble; meeting in such a place as this with an assassin was the type of thing that one could expect out of a crooked half-elf mutt, especially when he told me who he wanted dead.

My eyes opened wide as this man explained to me the many steps that were involved in the killing of, to my joyful surprise, Emperor Titus Mede II. "You want me to kill the Emperor." I nearly laughed. "I should thank you," I said, nearly laughing.

"Such enthusiasm." He smiled and looked like a serpent bearing his fangs. "I just hope that you have the skill to match it." Removing the amulet around his neck, Motierre handed it to me. "This should pay for any and all expenses."

"It will be done," I said. "Gods bless you sir." With that, I ran back to the Sanctuary as fast as my legs would carry me. Soon, very soon, Titus Mede would die, and I would have my revenge.


	4. Chapter 4

Liera Ventilius

The truce that Siglak had formed still held; God's, it did more than hold, it blossomed. There had been some light skirmishes here and there, but the roads were safer than in the months before when you were likely to run into a full scale battle. The peak of this peace was the wedding. Victoria Vici was to marry Asgeir Snow-Shod. His family was tied to the Stormcloaks, and Victoria, she was the cousin of the Emperor. Their marriage was supposed to calm the tension, and perhaps lead to negotiations where the war could end.

Until then, I was still an officer in the Imperial Legion. As such, I was assigned to stand guard at the wedding. General Tulius didn't suspect anything would happen; my presence was merely a token to show that he cared about their union. The ceremony went well; the couple went through the motions, and when they kissed, it looked as though they truly did have feelings for one another. The beauty of those two stirred up old memories. They were from long ago, but I remember preparing myself for occasions like this. Back when my father was the first consoler, I was desired by many men who sought to further their station. Many were a great deal older than myself, after all, I was a girl not yet into her twenties. Most sought only personal gain, and my father turned them away. There were some, however, that were truly good men. One in particular pulled at the strings of my heart. Gelbic was his name. He was a Nordic thane from Markarth, and it was from him that I learned to fight with a battle-axe. He was honest, kind, and loyal to the Empire. More than that, he had told me about Skyrim, and about the Nords who lived there. Most importantly, he had told me that above all things, a Nord should follow his heart, even if it seemed foolish. It was those words that I remembered most fondly. In the end, it was his love of the Empire that ended our chances at love. When my family was arrested, he chose to protect the Empire over me. I could hardly blame him; all he knew was that someone had committed an act of high treason-. He thought he was defending his Emperor. I heard talk that he had moved on since then and found another woman and started a family. But that was years ago, not worth dwelling on any longer.

The ceremony went well, but some guests seemed less pleased. The groom's father bickered senselessly with the bride's mother over, what else, the war. "Ulfric is committing an act of treason," The bride's mother declared.

"Was it treason for you to rebel against the Elves after they took the Imperial city?" The groom's father let out a loud huff.

"That's different, the Elves were foreign invaders; we liberated our home," She answered.

"My point exactly!" If Nord tempers were as hot as I remembered, this could have gotten out of hand quickly.

"You seem unhappy," I said, trying to interrupt the argument.

"Of course I'm not happy!" He nearly shouted at me. "My son is married to an Imperial."

I didn't think I could reason with him, but luckily, the bride took her place on the balcony to address her guests. "Please hold your anger for a moment, the bride is speaking." Crossing his arms, he nodded and walked away.

"Today, there are no Stormcloaks and no Imperials, there are only citizens of Skyrim." Victoria's words could have given me hope for a brighter future, but that was when it happened. The statue which hung from the wall above, fell on top of her, striking her head and sending her falling from the balcony.

Most of the guests were focused on Victoria, so I was the only one who noticed the figure crouching atop the wall where the statue had fallen from. "Up there!" I shouted and pointed to the killer. We chased him as he ran atop the wall, but keeping up was difficult as he was very fast and my heavy Imperial armor weighed me down. The assassin emerged from a set of stairs next to the gate as he climbed down from the wall, and that was when he gave me a clue to his identity. Ahead of me, a guard tried to stab the stranger, but in two swift motions the figure drew his blade, deflecting the guard's strike in that same motion, and then, cut the man down with his next motion. With that, he slipped out through the gates and was gone.

What really caught my attention, was the weapon he used. My father kept a blade like it; he called it a Katana. I remember seeing another blade like it here in Skyrim; it was at the negotiations at High Hrothgar. There were those odd two; they weren't on either side of the war. I remembered the Grey Beards regarding them coldly.

Seven thousand steps later, I found myself explaining everything to them. "Please, this murder will cause the bitterness to run deeper; if that happens, then this war will only end with a lot more bloodshed."

The one who seemed to lead them nodded. "There is wisdom in your actions, but the Greybeards rarely take part in the problems of the world below."

"But you gladly held a peace conference here, surely you can tell me who those two were, the ones whom you seemed upset with." I practically pleaded for his help.

He closed his eyes and bowed his head slightly. "You are likely referring to the Blades, but they would not do such a thing. I do not doubt that they would kill if they needed to, but they have long sought to protect the Empire, not harm it."

"That is true," I said, recalling the stories my father would tell about the great deeds of the Blades. "But I need to find them; the assassin I am looking for carried a blade like theirs."

The man gave a solemn nod and told me of Alduin's Wall in a place called Sky Haven Temple. It was a long journey there, and I had many encounters with Foresworn savages. The Blades did not receive me much better. "Reach for your weapon and we'll kill you," said an older woman with grey touched yellow hair, tied back in a long ponytail.

I raised both of my hands in front of me to show that I meant them no harm. "Please, I need your help to save the Empire."

"That is no longer our purpose." She sheathed her sword, and sure enough it was a Katana.

"That weapon," I said as I pointed to it and she gripped it. "Who else has one?"

"Why would you want to know that?" She took a fighting stance. Clearly this woman was very cautious.

"An assassin recently killed the Emperor's cousin, and he carried a blade like that." This time I put a hand on the haft of my axe. "I'll ask again, who else has one?"

"All you need to know is that the Blades had no part in this," She said, shifting her eyes between my feet and my axe.

"No, I need to know who else had a katana, otherwise I will have to assume that the Blades know something about this assassination and are hiding that information from the Empire." She looked like a wolf ready to strike.

"I don't think that you have the authority to decide that," she said.

"No?" In fact, I did not; I was merely acting on my own initiative, but as much as I hated the idea, there was another option that I could very well do. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Thalmor are searching for the Blades, are they not? Suppose they get a tip that there are some Blades hiding here. All I ask is this, who else owns a Katana?"

Her scowl cut deep and put me to shame for playing on their fears like that. "There is myself and Esbern, we are both Blades, and the Dragonborn." At that moment, realization struck me, and I felt foolish for not realizing t sooner. Of course it was him, who else would it be? There was talk of the Emperor coming to Skyrim to ease tension. Was Siglak planning to strike then? I ran from that temple as fast as I could, bound for Whiterun, before it was too late.

By the time I arrived, a new murder was on everyone's lips. A young officer of Pentus Oculotus, the Emperor's elite order, had been killed in a bar fight that had broken out at the Bannered Mare. In the confusion, no one had seen who had actually killed him, but it was not his death that caught my attention. The man had been found with documents that tied him to the assassination of Victoria Vicci. Could such a thing have been possible? It seemed strange to me that the Emperor's finest protectors could have traitors among them. I truly did not know what to make of it, but I had one idea.

"It's not true," declared a black haired Imperial man who held the victim's corpse in his arms. "My son is no traitor!" Tears rolled down the man's cheeks.

I gently placed a hand on the man's shoulder. "I am sorry for your loss, and I believe you, but I must ask you something, it may help me find the man who killed him."

The man steadied his breathing and laid the body of his son down, ever so gently. Scrubbing the tears from his eyes, he stood and faced me. "If you want to find the scum who did this, then I want to come with you, and rip him to pieces."

Where there was once sadness, there was now hatred, so pure that I could feel it radiating off of this mourning father. "First we must find him. My name is Liera Ventilius, and I am guessing by your uniform that you are from the Pentus Oculotus."

"I am Commander Gaius Marrow, and this was my son, Gaius the second."

"I must ask you something Commander, if I may." He nodded. "What was your son doing in Whiterun?"

"He was inspecting the capitol of every hold in Skyrim for the Emperor's visit. Surely you know this. Why else would you come to Whiterun if not to inspect a victim whose orders you should have been made aware of?" His voice was heated, suspicious, accusing.

"I am searching for a man whom I believe could be linked to the killing of Victoria Vici. As it so happens, he lives here in Whiterun, and he might know about your son."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go pry open his door and find out what he knows."

"First, I would like to talk to the bartender."

"She's already been asked; she didn't see who killed him."

"That's not what I'm after. Just hold on a moment." The man was irrational in his grief and tried to protest, but I walked away before I would allow myself to sink into such sadness. "Hulda." The woman behind the bar turned from the man she was serving to look at me. "How did the fight start?"

"That damned feud between the Battle-Borns and the Grey-Manes; Siglak came in and paid Mikael to sing _The Age of Oppression._ You can guess how Idolf reacted, calling Siglak a traitor, then Siglak punched him out cold. The Grey-Manes came to his aid, and the Battle-Borns came to Idolf's. Pretty soon the whole inn was fighting. What's worse is that the Imperial officer was killed."

"But Siglak was here, yes?" her eyes narrowed a bit as she nodded slowly. I put a small bag of coins on the table. "Thank you Hulda, you've been very helpful." Before leaving, I promised Marrow his vengeance, promised that I would bring the man who did this to Justice. I couldn't have ran down the street fast enough to the house next to the blacksmith's forge.

When I pounded on the door, Lydia, Siglak's housekarl, answered it. "Liera," She rested her hand on her sword hilt, "What brings you here?"

"I must speak with Siglak at once," I said, consciously keeping my hand off of my weapon so as not to give any impression of hostility.

Lydia shook her head and her stony expression softened a bit, but her hand never left her sword. "I haven't seen him in months, not since he disappeared in Windhelm. Is that what you're here about?"

"You didn't see him when he was here earlier? Not after he started the fight at the inn?" Her eyebrows raised. "You really have no idea, do you?" She shook her head and I took a deep breath. "Lydia, I think Siglak is an assassin, the one who killed Victoria Vicci and I think he started the fight."

Lydia stared blankly off into the distance for a moment in complete silence. "I want to tell you that it's impossible," she said at last, "but I can't be certain anymore. You know, about a year ago, Siglak went into the Thalmor embassy to collect information on the dragons. What he found instead was an old enemy, and Siglak slaughtered him with brutality that I have never even heard of." Her finger traced something along the hilt of her sword, and she still stared off at nothing. "He is my Thane, and he is my friend. I will not help you find him because of what you might do, but when I see him next, I will see if I can reason with him."

The door closed in my face, and I didn't knock again. Events were moving quickly, and I had significantly less information than I had hoped for. I had to assume that Siglak was the assassin, but I could not prove it. All I could do was prepare for what would inevitably come.

Lydia closed the door before Liera could object, and I came out of the small Alchemy lab where I had been hiding. "Is it true, is any of it true?" She didn't turn away from the door.

"I'm only doing what justice demands I do; many have died because of the Emperor, and soon he will get what he deserves." She rounded on me and tried to plant he fist in my face, but I caught her wrist in time. "I take it you disagree."

"Is this what it's come to?" She pulled her wrist free of my grip. "You're an assassin for the Dark Brotherhood! You've spilled the blood of innocent people, and you've abandon your honor. What was it all for?" I opened my mouth to speak, but she talked on. "Don't tell me that you're avenging the dead or that you're bringing justice. Gods! Is there nothing left but your blind hatred?"

"You do not understand, nor could you. You were not there when people died because the Emperor would not protect his own. An Emperor who cannot protect his subjects deserves death."

"Please Siglak, just let it go. This is going to kill you inside."

"I can't let it go; the dead can't. The guilty must die." Lydia turned back to the door and began to open it, but I pushed the door shut again. "Where are you going?"

She looked at me with tears in the edges of her eyes. "Siglak, you've placed me in an impossible situation. I can see that you will not leave this path, and therefore I must make a decision. I must choose between my honor and my heart. As your housekarl, honor demands that I stay, but my heart screams for me to run now and never look back." She turned her eyes away from me and yanked the door open. "I'm leaving Whiterun. Goodbye….." She gave a bitter chuckle. "You know, I want to say 'goodbye Blacksmith', but my friend died a long, long time ago." She ran out the door and down the street quickly until the gates closed behind her.

I was a fool for driving her to this, and even more the fool for not going after her. At the time, I thought that it would do no good, after all, she had made her decision. I let myself fall even further into mindless hate, and soon, it would turn to shame.

 **I'm sorry that it took this long for me to post this chapter. The simple truth is that I have been busy lately. I hope to post another chapter this week. Thank you guys for reading, and feel free to leave comments and constructive criticism.**


	5. Chapter 5

Siglak.

The Gourmet's body fell into the pond, and I clutched his papers in my hand. With these, the Emperor was as good as dead already. Riding my black horse back to the sanctuary, I could not wipe the grin from my face. The thought of what I would do to him filled me with joy.

But alas, things hardly went according to _my_ plan. Poison was the means meant to end his life; Jaren root, if I recall. The poison seemed to cause him pain as it ended his life, but ultimately, it was not enough. It happened too quickly for me to tell him why he was dying, why he deserved it. I wanted him to be filled with guilt and fear as he left this world.

The nobles who attended the Emperor were not spared either. Each of those simpering Imperial fools were cut down, and their bodies were cast aside. As I ran out the door onto the stone bridge above the city of Solitude, the soft sound of clapping echoed through the air as three guards stepped out from the tower on the far side of the bridge, and who else should appear in the window but that same black haired, Imperial commander whose son I had killed and framed for treason during the bar fight in Whiterun.

"That man was by far the most insufferable of the Emperor's doubles." He gave a bitter laugh as he rubbed his thick mustache that formed an arch over his mouth. "Surprised? So was I when a member of your _brotherhood_ offered me a deal. I would get you and the Emperor would live in exchange for the continued existence of the Dark Brotherhood." The seemingly forced grin that he wore vanished in the flood of contempt. "But I have a better idea; I'll kill you, _and_ your associates. Right now your sanctuary is being put to the torch. You killed my son, and you deserve to die for it."

"Everyone loses something Marrow," I shouted back at him, but he was already long gone.

The three men posed to attack me; this looked grim. I had left my sword at the sanctuary so as not to look suspicious as a well-armed cook. All I had was a pair of steel daggers that I had smuggled in, it was not much to fend off three well-armed guards with. I could not use my Thu'um, or else someone from the streets bellow would surely place the Dragonborn at the scene of the crime. I had to depend on what Astrid had taught me about fighting with small blades.

The first stab came from the man on my left. I used my dagger to redirect his blade and then I crouched low to dodge the man on the right as he swung horizontally for my head. The man in front of me chopped vertically at me, but I sidestepped his sword as I stayed low and grabbed the man on my left and tossed him over the side of the bridge to fall screaming to his death. I had only a moment to dodge the two men that came at me from both sides as I slipped between them and planted my two daggers into their backs. Picking up one of their swords, I made a dash down the tower at the other end of the bridge to where a doorway lead out to the docks.

I made it to the abandon shack as fast as my legs would carry me, where Shadowmere tapped his hoof nervously and he took me the rest of the way to the sanctuary. All the way back, one question came to mind; who had betrayed me? In truth, I never trusted any of them, except for maybe Astrid, but after Cicero's death, I had doubted even her. After killing the fool, I decided to leave the Brotherhood before I turned out like Cicero, with another assassin's blade lodged in my neck, though I would have died as less of a gibbering fool than he had been. On top of that, my resolve was not as strong as it had been at the start. It was still strong enough to carry me to the end, but since Lydia left, I began to feel the weight of what I had done, and it was quite the burden. The image of Victoria's skull breaking and her body collapsing like a sack of wheat still remained in my mind as clearly as it did when I first saw it. Still, this had been my one chance to kill the Emperor, I couldn't let the opportunity slip away. Could I? But now that chance was gone forever. Who knew where the real Emperor was. I told myself that it would all be over when I killed him; no more killing for gold, no more shame, no more lies. But what did that mean now? Could I just walk away knowing that the real Titus Mede was still out there? These questions still tore at me when I reached the sanctuary.

Black smoke rose high when I arrived, and Pentus Oculotus agents were everywhere. They were cut down before me in scores, and now that there were no witnesses, I could use my Thu'um freely. Already, many of the other assassins had been slain. Nazir was the only one that I found alive.

"Thank the Gods you're here." He said as I hacked down the soldier whom he battled with.

"We've been betrayed Nazir," I said, still keeping my blade ready in case it was him.

"I know, and before you ask, no, I don't think it was you. Okay, maybe I did, but you saving me just now has erased those doubts." The crackling of flames seemed to grow louder. "It's not important now; all that matters is that we get to safety."

We ran through the sanctuary, only to find ourselves at a dead end. _I am your salvation Listener._ The Night Mother's voice echoed in my head. _Embrace me Listener._ Without a second thought, I climbed into the Night Mother's coffin, and sealed myself in. A few moments passed in total darkness, and then came a loud crash and I had the feeling of falling. _Sleep_. And so I did. It seems strange now, how calm I was, sleeping next to a corpse, but before this, I had not slept in days, and the fighting left me exhausted. As I faded out of consciousness, thoughts of Sovngarde filled my mind. Conjuring images of that glorious place used to fill my heart with bliss, but as I fell asleep the bleeding bodies of Victoria and Marrow's son blocked my path to the Hall of Valor. Was it all in my head, or was it a message? Had Shor rejected me?

In my dream, and perhaps in the waking world I wept. I wept until I could weep no more, and when it was done, I saw again the walls of the Thalmor camp surround me, and I heard the screams of my sister as she was dragged away. _Someone must punish those responsible. If I must give up Sovngarde for it, then so be it. I have come too far to turn back anyways._ I tried to convince myself that it was for the best, but the truth was, I felt trapped, like a slave to his master call.

"I'm going….as fast…as I, can…you stupid…she devil." I awoke, and I could hear the sound of Nazir's voice clearly through the coffin. "Just one more." He said through grunts and groans.

 _Go speak to Astrid in the Falkreath sanctuary. So begins a contract, bound in blood._ The doors to the coffin swung open and there stood Nazir and Babette.

I stumbled slightly and I could feel Nazir's hand on my shoulder. "Take it easy friend; you've been in there for hours."

"I don't have time to 'take it easy'; where is Astrid?" Nazir shook his head. "Well then let's search the sanctuary." I ran up to the small bedroom that branched off of the entrance. The wardrobe was normally set against the wall, but now, it was pushed aside to reveal a small chamber where I found Astrid.

She was a charred stick figure on the ground, surrounded by all the components of a black sacrament save the flesh of man or mer. I could see immediately what this was about, but I let her speak anyways. "Listener." Her voice was a painful little groan. Every syllable was torture. "I have to confess to what I've done; I'm the one who betrayed you." She paused for a moment to see if I would respond, but I would give her no such satisfaction. "I just wanted things to go back to the way they were, before this contract, before the night mother, before," she gave a tiny groan, "You. I know now that I was wrong. The old ways have guided the Dark Brotherhood for centuries, and so we should keep to them. I seek your mercy. Don't you see? I am the black sacrament."

"You have taught me much Astrid. How to fight, how to move quietly, but now, you have taught me about the nature of betrayal. I will grant you mercy, but you do not have my forgiveness." I picked up her dagger, and it felt odd to hold it in my hand. In my dreams, I had seen this dagger before, and always it was just a moment before its black, curved blade killed me. I made quick work of Astrid, and kept her dagger close at hand.

 _Go to the Bannered Mare in Whiterun and speak with Amaund Motierre._ It shocked me for a moment to hear the Nigh Mother's voice say such a thing to me. I had assumed that this would be the end of the Dark Brotherhood; at the very least, I planned to leave, to avoid any future betrayals. It was not bad news though, rather, it eased my heavy heart a bit. The Emperor was out there somewhere, and I still had a chance to kill him like the gutless dog he was. I would be damned if I didn't get my due. I had given up too much to just walk away. Sovngarde was lost to me, my honor was gone, my hands were filthy with blood, and Lydia was gone. My dearest friend left me, and she could not be blamed. I wondered if I would ever see her again. Would she keep the sword I made for her? It didn't matter anymore; she was gone, and all I could think to do at that moment was kill in a vain attempt to fill the hole that she left behind.

"By Sithis, this is horrible. It looks to be our final chapter." Nazir said looking over the rubble. His voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Not quite," I said, "there is the sanctuary in Dawnstar where you two can take refuge."

"You're not coming?"

"I will meet you after I'm done." I forced myself to smile bitterly.

"After what? Where are you going?"

"The contract is still on, and I mean to complete it."


	6. Chapter 6

Taking my ebony bow from my back, I drew back an orcish arrow and let it loose into the chest of a passing sailor. The _Katariah's_ guards were mostly on deck; they never thought that an assassin would climb up the anchor of the ship. More importantly, they thought that I was dead. Three guards joked about how the smoke from the sanctuary could be seen from Whiterun. Their laughter was cut short when an arrow dug into the back of one of their heads. The other two charged at me only to be cut down by my curved dagger.

My skill with a lock pick still left much to be desired, but I was good enough to see myself through all the right doors.

I had expected the Emperor of Tamriel to be either caught off guard or to have a trap set up for me. I was prepared to deal with either, but what I found instead was a withered old man expecting death and welcoming its coming. "You see!" He sounded excited, even fascinated. "I told Commander Marrow, but he didn't listen. You can't stop the Dark Brotherhood, you never could."

I scanned the room, still looking for traps, but none were to be found. He watched me without a hint of fear, and he gave no indication that he was ready to fight back in any way. His lack of fear was maddening. It felt like he was looking down on me. "You were expecting me and you did not prepare for this?"

"To what end? This meeting is destiny; the Gods have decided that I shall die by your hand." I still kept my distance and looked at where his hands were under his desk. Noticing this, he placed his hands on top of his desk where I could see them better. "Might I ask you a favor?" The question caught me off guard, and he took my silence the entirely wrong way. "Then you will hear me out? Good. While there are many who would see me dead, there is one who set the event into motion. Such an act of treason cannot go unpunished. Would you do this for me, as a last request for an old man?"

I took a few steps forward and smacked his head down on his desk. "You Imperials are a filthy people. You use words like 'treason' in the most absurd ways to express your delusions that every other race owes you their loyalty. As if you have earned such loyalty."

The Emperors eyes bulged wide. "No assassin, hired for coin, should care so much; who are you?"

"Let me tell you about another tale of treason," I said, still holding the back of his head. "When you surrendered to the Thalmor, you signed away the rights of thousands of your own subjects. Do you even know what happened to them?"

"So you are a Stormcloak and a Dark Brotherhood assassin?" I smashed his head into the desk again.

"Answer me," I shouted.

"No, I don't. It was not part of the truce that was formed, and it was a truce, not a surrender. Had we continued to fight on like you Nord folk wanted, we would have….."

I grabbed him by the throat, but not hard enough to strangle him. I wasn't done yet. "You could have won; you had the might of Hammerfell and Skyrim at your back. But even if you couldn't win, you should never have left so many of your people at the mercy of the Thalmor. We were your people, and you looked the other way as we suffered. You didn't even bother to find out what had happened to us?" I turned his head towards mine so that I looked into his eyes. The calm coolness that was there when I first walked in was replaced with a heated indignity. "You are the traitor! You have betrayed your own people, condemning them to persecution at the hands of your enemies, and you deserve no loyalty for it." I drew my dagger. "Well I am here now. I am their voice, I am their vengeance, and you will die by my hands." I placed my dagger under his chin. "Get up." My voice was a quiet and dreadful like the sound of a growling dog before it attacked. I led him to the window. "Take a last look at Nirn, because soon you will be gone. Do me a favor, will you? When you get to the next life, tell all that you meet about how you were killed by contract of your First counsoler. I only wish I could hear the souls of the dead laughing at how much of a fool you were in this life. Right, no more talking; time to die." I moved my dagger to his belly and stabbed him. My blade dragged through him left and right until his whole gut was open and spilled on the floor. As one last sign of disrespect, I dragged his body out to the balcony outside his room and dumped it into the water below.

Climbing over the wooden railing, I dove in after the corpse. When I surfaces and drew a deep breath; I could hear shouting coming from the upper decks. The splashing sounds must have alerted the guards. It was no matter, however, because by the time one had spotted me, I had taken to the shore and started running.

I told myself that it was justice, and tried to be happy with the death of a foolish man, unfit to rule. In the abandon shack where I first met Astrid, I thought I would be safe for a while, from there, I would plan where to go next. One thing was for sure, I was done with the Brotherhood.

Little did I know, there was someone waiting there for me. The door was forced open when I arrived, and two Imperial soldiers stood outside. Drawing back my bow, I hid in the low brush and took aim. The first guard dropped when the arrow hit him, and the second drew his sword a bit too slowly as I charged out of the bush and ran him through.

"You probably could have sidestepped them." The voice came from inside the shack, and it was all too familiar to me. Liera, clad in the armor of an Imperial officer stepped outside. "They didn't have to die. But then, neither did the Emperor. Should I even be surprised?"

"Surprised that I could, or that I decided to?" I lowered my dagger but did not sheath it, not yet.

"I suppose neither really. I haven't known you for long, and yet I can already tell what type of man you are. It's a gift I have; I can just look at someone and tell these things. Kodlak White-Mane could do it too; it's how he judges potential Companions." She gripped the haft of her axe and stood ready to use it. "You are violent and hateful Siglak. Do you think that any good will come of this? Does that part even matter to you?"

"You think you understand what this is about, but you are as ignorant as that pompous fool whose body I dumped into the river."

Liera gripped her axe tighter. Her knuckles were white. "Honestly, your motives don't matter now that the deed is done."

I eyed the surrounding swamp. Running in any direction would see me free of her. Or perhaps I could just kill her and walk away. No! Not now; I had already killed enough for one day. Besides that, there was a problem there; eventually the Solitude guards would catch wind of the Emperors death, and they likely knew these swamps well enough to find me before I could defeat Liera. All she needed to do was waste enough time. "So you've come to arrest me then."

To my surprise, she shook her head. "I came because I want to know where _he_ is."

"He who?" I said uneasily. "That could refer to anyone."

"Amaund Motierre!" She all but screamed it. "Of all those who would benefit from the Emperor's death, none would quite as much as he would."

I could not help but laugh at the irony of the situation. "So you mean to kill him then, and I suspect you have no orders to do so. Without them, you would be no better than me. You call me hateful and violent, yet you are here so that you can kill a man in cold blood. We truly are the same Liera."

"How dare you claim to know my intent?" She raised her voice to a shout. "I will not kill the man. I mean to arrest him and make him stand trial for this offense, and I need your help to do it. As the assassin, you need only point the finger at him and he will be put to death, you will be granted mercy, and the Empire will avoid a greater catastrophe."

"Ha!" I scoffed, "I doubt the Empire would give me any such mercy, even if they promised it to me on their knees. More Importantly, I don't care about your precious Empire. As far as I'm concerned, the true Empire died with Martin Septim; everything that has come after is just a cheap imitation."

"But without the Empire, the Thalmor will swallow up the whole of Tamriel."

"I have heard such claims before, and each time that I have, I could hardly keep from heaving. If Hammerfell could fend them off alone, and yet the Empire could not do it with the help of the Redguards, then that tells you one thing. Clearly the fault is in Imperial leadership. Why can we not stand against the Thalmor without bowing to the Empire?" Such an argument always seemed like an insult to me. It was an assumption that the rest of the world _needed_ the Empire. "Your Empire can collapse for all I care."

"The world needs the Empire to keep the peace. Without anything to stop them, the Bretons will march on Orsinium, the Argonians will continue to raid Morrowind, and the skooma trade that now poisons Cyrodiil will flourish and spread to other provinces." She still gripped her axe, but the way she spoke, it sounded like she was pleading. "Amaund Motierre is far worse than Titus Mede could ever be. He is every inch of him a Breton, and he will do all that it entails. As I have said, Orsinium will burn again, and the Empire will be weaker than ever before. I doubt he would even lift a finger against the Thalmor, and many will come to suffer." Her hand left her weapon. "Please Siglak, listen to me. I have heard again and again that a Nord always follows his heart; if that is true, than listen to yours. Does it tell you to stand idly by and let hundreds of thousands, die? You have some good in you Siglak, I can see that too." I took a deep breath, and made my choice.


	7. Chapter 7

Liera Ventilius.

"This is ridiculous!" Siglak scoffed as he watched the door into the bannered mare. "I already told you that I won't speak against him. I still can't trust that it won't be my head on the block next."

"Well we can't just let him go, and without your support, we can't prove that he's guilty." I kept a level voice, but a direct one. Siglak was trying my patience, and he certainly had not earned such leniency. "What do you recommend?"

"Why not just kill him?" Siglak suggested. "He's expecting me to return for my reward; I can literally walk right up to him and slit his throat."

I shook my head, but kept a calm stare. "No. If he is killed by an assassin, then he will be seen as a poor victim, caught up in all of this. He needs to be exposed merely on a matter of principle."

"Your principles are foolish. Who cares how history remembers the man as long as he's dead? I agreed to help you so I could avoid many deaths. I couldn't care less about how history views it so long as the man cannot cause anyone harm. The sooner we kill him, the sooner we are safe from what could be."

"Maybe, but…" My voice waivered for just a moment, and Siglak jumped at the weakness.

"Why are you so reluctant to see the man die?"

I had my reasons, plenty, in fact, that I would not give. The reason I did give him was one of the most important. "If I kill this man or let you do it, then how am I better than you or him? I will not lower myself to using assassins to do my killing and I will not use vengeance where there should be justice."

The expression of shock on Siglak's face told me that he caught told me that he caught m mistaken choice of words. "So this man has wronged you personally then. Why don't you want vengeance? Isn't his life yours to take? What did he do to you anyways?"

"I will not sink to such a hateful level of existence. Justice is what I need, not vengeance."

Siglak grimaced deeply. "I see; you are disapproving of what I did. Let me enlighten you Imperial; when I killed the Emperor, I brought him the fate he deserved. Isn't that justice? Do we really need a court of Imperial puppets to tell us what justice is?"

"So do you decide what justice is, Siglak? By what rite do you claim to judge the guilt of others? And what of your guilt? What of Victoria, Gaius Marrow, and all the others you have killed just to get to the Emperor? Should you not be held responsible for their deaths?" Siglak went silent. "You can still bring justice; isn't that what your precious Talos is the god of?" He looked intensely at me, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes for a moment. "You could start to bring justice by taking Amaund Motierre alive."

Siglak let out a long sigh. "How do you propose we do that?"

I allowed myself to smile slightly. We were finally getting somewhere. "All I need you to do is keep him distracted until I can gather the guards and cut off his escape routes."

"What about Rexus." He made a good point; I had almost forgotten about Motierre's bodyguard.

"Tell you what, I'll keep an eye on him when I bring the guards in. You just worry about distracting Motierre." Siglak nodded and turned into the Bannered Mare. I ran off to get the guards. Not a hard task for anyone wearing an Imperial officer's uniform. It was good that they didn't ask too many questions. All I needed to do was say the words 'the Dragonborn needs help' and they were eager to follow.

There was something particularly satisfying at seeing the sheer look of shock on Motierre's arrogant face. The only thing that surprised me was how easily Rexus laid down his sword and stood aside, but then again, the situation didn't look good for him.

"What is the meaning of this?" Motierre demanded as the guards dragged him out. "I am the first councilor of the Empire! Get your filthy hands off of me!"

"Save it Motierre," I said as the guards dragged him out. "You'll need your silver tongue in the trial."

"Trial?" He was clearly trying to sound surprised, but I could hear a hint of realization. "On what charges?"

"You are accused of conspiring to commit murder and high treason." I directed my eyes towards Siglak. "I have a witness too. Take him up to Dragon's Reach, for now." The guards nodded and practically carried him out the door.

Siglak tried to walk past me after the guards were gone, but I wasn't finished yet. "I still need you Siglak."

"As I have said, I will not attend any trial where I could easily be taken prisoner and tried next." He said it in a flat voice, as if it should have been clear.

"Without you, there will not be enough evidence to convict the man," I said.

"I still don't understand why you didn't just kill him." He looked at me flatly as if what he said was painfully obvious. "You know, you probably still can kill him. The Empire has certainly sentenced men to death without proving their guilt, or even giving them a trial at all. Just think about Helgan; call the man a traitor, and the good little Imperial sheep will cut off his head by day's end."

I had had enough of Siglak's self-righteous whining about the Empire, and I had lost my temper. Before my open hand could reach his face, however, Siglak caught my wrist. "Let go of me," I demanded, keeping a calm tone.

"Where do you think you are Liera?" His voice was a cold low growl. "This is not Cyrodiil, where a man will accept being struck by one such as yourself."

"Do men in Skyrim treat their women in this way then?" I pulled my wrist free of his grasp and placed my hand on the dagger at my hip.

"This has nothing to do with you being a woman. If you were a delicate merchant or farmer, I would have said nothing." He gave a bitter chuckle, but only for a moment. "Alas Liera, you are a warrior; you have the skills of one, you act like one, and so you must be treated as one." His eyes were like spikes of ice piercing me. "In Skyrim, a warrior is a warrior; if one warrior strikes another as you attempted, then they should expect retaliation. In this way, men and women are equal in Skyrim."

I let out a sigh, trying to hide how I felt just then. I had always noticed Siglak's size, he had the muscles of a blacksmith, but it never intimidated me, not until now. Certainly I had overpowered bigger and stronger men, but the cold contempt of his stare was overwhelming. "We're getting sidetracked Siglak." I kept a level voice. Siglak was stubborn, but there was something else to him. As hard as it was to believe, there was more than just blind hate. "Without you there to speak against him, Motierre will slip through the cracks. What do you suppose will happen then? Do you think the Thalmor will stop coming to Skyrim? Do you think the Empire will take care of its people more or less?"

His ice filled eyes seemed to melt. "What I did, I did for the ones who aren't here now. Everything I do, I do for Skyrim."

"Your efforts are misguided, but I understand. You love your country, and you'll do anything to protect it." I noticed so suddenly that my voice sounded soft, and so was his when he answered.

"We are the same in that way. I respect you Liera, even if I don't agree with you." He gave a deep nod. "I will help, but I have some conditions."

"Within reason I hope." I forced myself to chuckle to keep the conversation calm and to shake off some of the uneasiness that I still felt.

"Don't worry about that." He returned a small grin. "I would ask that he be tried here in Skyrim, and the judges may not be the Jarls of Skyrim."

I shook my head slightly. "I can arrange for these terms to be met, but they will know soon enough Siglak. The shame could be even greater if they think you tried to hide from them." He looked so surprised to hear me say that. I myself didn't realize how much of the local culture had rubbed off on me. I put a hand on his shoulder. "Perhaps it would be better if they were the judges. They might respect your honesty and grant you a pardon." _On top of that, they were the local authority and it would take a long time to arrange for any other judges._

And then, he said something that nearly left me breathless. "I want no pardon if they are the judges. I would be ashamed to ask for it."

I looked over this man and all of the hate seemed to be replaced with shame. "You have it in you to be better than this Siglak. If you live, you could do a lot better."

He shook his head. "I have dishonored myself so very deeply. Begging for my life before my kinsmen would be a final blow that I could never recover from. I made my choices when I killed those people, and whatever they are, I will accept the consequences. Let the judges be the Jarls, I await their judgment."

"The trial will be at the Blue Palace one week from now." I said as he put his hand on the Bannered Mare's door.

"I'll be there Liera, and thank you." He didn't say for what he thanked me. It left me wondering about him. I didn't know much about Siglak, but one thing I could not deny was that when he walked out that door, I saw a better man than the one who walked in.


	8. Chapter 8

Siglak

I looked over the letter one last time. It read:

Dear Lydia,

I'm sorry for everything. By the time that this letter reaches you, news of the Emperor's death will have spread to you, as well as the knowledge that I was the assassin. Over these past years, I ceased to be the blacksmith boy that you remembered. I was so consumed by this fool notion that I needed revenge. In the pursuit, I lost everything that I still had. I have spent these last few days thinking. The dragon threat has passed, and my purpose is done. Without Alduin to raise them, dragons can be killed off by the Blades. What I am trying to say, is that my time will come soon, because I will accept the inevitable consequences of my actions. Now I see the folly of my ways, and I know that I will not see Sovngarde. Perhaps this is goodbye; if it is so, then remember this; you were the greatest friend I have ever had, and I should have held on to you with everything that I had.

Sincerely,

Siglak.

Oh, and as a last request, please keep the sword I made you. Think back to happier times when you see it, a time when I was a good man.

Sealing the letter, I put it in my pocket. I would have to find someone who could find Lydia. I still hadn't seen her since she left, and I didn't have enough time to find her. I shook my head, this was how it had to be. I took the carriage to Solitude where two guards and Liera waited at the gate. "Sorry Siglak, but the Jarls insisted."

I nodded and began to walk towards the palace with guards on either side of me. "How many of the Jarls are here," I asked, afraid of the answer.

"All of them." Liera stepped in front of me. "I know this is a lot to ask, but your testimony has to convince the Jarls that Motierre needs to be punished, even the rebel Jarls."

"No honorable Nord would look on these acts with anything but contempt. Sending someone else to do your killing is a dishonorable act as well as a disrespectful one. Why do you think Ulfric personally challenged Torygg?" That was one thing that the Imperial nobles did not understand; it was an honor to challenge and be challenged. It meant that your opponent respects you enough to fight you himself. "All I need to do is point the finger at Motierre, and he is damned."

"Are you sure you don't wish to ask for a pardon, or even mercy?"

I could not help but smile. "For an arena champion and a sell-sword, you have a good heart. It has been an honor crossing paths with you." The guards pushed open the door and the courtroom of the Blue Palace was dead silent, save the slight echo where conversation must have been.

The Jarls sat in an arc with Elisif sitting at the center on her throne. Sure enough, they were all there; every rebel and loyalist sat there and stared at me in shock. "Bring in the accused," Ulfric said. His face and his stare was so grief filled when he looked at me, as if I had betrayed him personally somehow.

Motierre was dragged out before the Jarls, and the whole time he worked to pull his arm free of his guard's grip. "I can walk well enough, thank you." He stood up straight and looked over the Jarls with level eyes, as if regarding them as equals.

Elisif stood up, cleared her throat and announced, "Amaund Motierre, you stand accused of conspiracy to commit the murder of Victoria Vicci, Gaius Marrow, and the Emperor Titus Mede II. All of these murders also mean that you are accused of high treason. How do you plead?"

"On what evidence do you claim my involvement in this tragedy?" Liera scowled at his use of the word 'tragedy', but I did not do the same. It would only dig his grave deeper when the Jarls realized that he had tried to manipulate them. "I was merely enjoying the mountain air of this beautiful province when I was arrested on these ludicrous charges."

Liera stepped forward. "Judges of this trial, I have brought a witness to Motierre's involvement with these recent murders. Please step forward and speak Siglak." I stood in the center of the arc. I tried to stand tall so as not to arouse pity, for I wanted none. "Siglak, what is your relationship to the accused?"

I took a deep breath. "I am the assassin who carried out these murders."

"And who hired you to carry out these crimes?" Liera looked more at the Jarls than me when she asked. She commanded their attention well. "Also, please include as much detail as you can."

"It was the accused. I originally met him in the Nordic ruin of Volunruud where he gave me his amulet that marked him as a member of the Elder Council. I took it to the Thieves Guild to be fenced. First, I was hired to kill Victoria Vicci, specifically on her wedding day." Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a young man there; when I looked directly at him, it was the same young man who was wed to Victoria. He looked heartbroken as he turned his eyes back and forth between Motierre and me. "In addition to this, I was hired to kill Gaius Marrow and plant evidence of a conspiracy on his corpse." At that moment, who should step out of the shadows but Commander Marrow himself. His hand was on his sword hilt and he looked at me with the purest hate. With great effort, I forced myself to continue. "Then there was the Emperor of course. But in addition to this, I was hired to kill the Gourmet as well as the chef from Understone Keep in Markarth." The Jarl of Markarth gave a loud huff.

"And where is your proof of this?" Motierre exclaimed. "This is clearly a trick by that Imperial officer there." He pointed his finger at Liera. "She called the witness after all; clearly he is lying by her orders."

"Siglak," Ulfric said, resting his forehead upon his hand, "are you lying to us?" I shook my head. "May Shor have mercy on your soul. I thought you were better than this."

"Siglak's actions are not in question at the moment," Liera cut in, "rather, we are here to decide the guilt of Motierre."

"Agreed." Jarl Balgruuf nodded. "I do hope that you have more proof than Siglak's claim that he was the assassin."

"I would like to call forward some other witnesses." As the Jarls nodded for her to continue, Liera waved at a cluster of guards from different holds in Skyrim.

Their testimonials were all much the same. Liera asked them if I was in the right city when the assassination took place. Every one of them recalled seeing me. The Jarls looked around and muttered softly, but Liera was not yet finished.

When I entered the city, the guards confiscated my katana and gave it to Liera who unsheathed it now before the Jarls. "Following the death of Victoria Vicci, a guard was cut down by the assassin who wielded a katana. I managed to find out that these weapons are rare, so rare in fact that they are only carried by members of the now illegal organization, the Blades. I cannot say where I have found a member of this organization for their own protection, but they were connected to Siglak in relation to the recent Alduin crisis. This weapon does indeed match a weapon that the assassin carried on the date of Victoria Vicci's murder." She handed the katana to one of the jarls and they passed it around. "So now we have the weapon, and Siglak was in the right place at the right time. Let us now turn our attention to Motierre. How do you answer this evidence?"

"I say that your evidence is a mix of forced or paid witnesses and a coincidence that your supposed assassin just so happened to have this katana. I also suspect that he does not own this weapon at all, rather, it was given to him as a trick to convince the court." Motierre's voice and posture did not waiver as he spoke. It even looked like he was suppressing a grin.

"I still have witnesses to call. First, I would like to call on Commander Gaius Marrow Senior." Marrow stepped forward. "Commander Marrow was undoubtedly present when the Emperor's double was killed. In his report," Liera handed around a set of papers bound in leather, "Commander Marrow claims a black haired Nord arrived in a chef's garb claiming to be the Gourmet. Commander, was Siglak that man?"

Marrow's eyes narrowed when he looked at me. "He was."

"Could there be any mistake?" Liera asked, knowing that it was unnecessary.

"I would never forget the face of the man who killed my son." The corner of Marrow's lips twitched slightly, and his eyes were still pointed at me like arrows ready to fly, but other than that, his face was cold and expressionless.

"Thank you Commander." Liera patted him on the shoulder. "This report would support Siglak's claim that he killed the Gourmet and, by extension, that he was involved in the murder of the Emperor."

"It still does not mean that I am guilty." Motierre exclaimed. "Other than this lowlife assassin's word, there is nothing that connects me to him."

"I beg to differ," Liera said, waving in Hrulda from the Bannered Mare. "Hrulda, has anyone else enter the room that Motierre rented while he was at your inn?"

"Just his bodyguard and Siglak." She answered.

"Thank you Hrulda." Liera stepped closer to the Jarls until she was abreast with Motierre and pointed at him. "There is your connection, or would you like to call her a liar as well?"

"I do call her a liar. She is an innkeeper; can we really trust that she was not bribed."

"Jarls," Liera raised her voice, "I would ask that you make your judgment at this time."

The jarls stood and left the room. It took a bit longer than was expected, but at last they came back. Elisif Spoke for them. In truth, I was surprised that there was no argument from Ulfric. "We find Amaund Motierre guilty of high treason and conspiracy to commit several acts of murder. We here by sentence you to death by beheading. May the Eight," Ulfric and many of the Jarls loyal to him gave loud grunts of disapproval. "Maye the _Eight_ have mercy on your soul."

Kicking and Screaming, Motierre was dragged away by the guards. Liera stepped forward; "At this time, I would like to beg for a pardon on behalf of Siglak of Whiterun."

Ulfric shook his head. "If Siglak wants mercy, he alone must answer for the charges against him. Step back _Imperial_ and let him answer for himself." He turned his gaze on me, with that same cold disappointment as if I had betrayed him. "Siglak, you have been charged with all of the same crimes as Motierre, and many other murders that have been carried out by the Dark Brotherhood these past few months. How do you plea?"

"I plead guilty to all charges. I do not beg for mercy because I do not believe I deserve any." I kneeled before the Jarls. "I only wish for the victems of my crimes to have justice. I am truly sorry for the things that I have done."

Elisif stood up. "I think we can all agree—"

"If I may, Jarl Elisif." Liera said.

Elisif looked offended that she had been cut short. "Go ahead," Ulfric said before she could speak.

Liera tapped her fist to her chest in a salute. "Thank you Jarl Ulfric. If I may, Motierre was the master mind behind these murders; Siglak was merely a tool to be uses. Will you punish the weapon for this crime?" She meant well, but evidently, she didn't understand as much as she thought she did.

Ulfric raised his hand to stop her. "A Nord is not a tool, and Siglak is no exception. He chose to kill those people when he could have easily refused."

Liera's face grew pale. She knew that her silver tongue and her mind for politics was serving her poorly. "But you cannot deny that Siglak has helped uncover a political assassination, and that he wishes to repent for his crimes. If he was to be pardoned, I think that he could do enough good to outweigh his evil."

"Perhaps so," Ulfric said, "but if he will live, he must ask for mercy himself. To grant him any without his plea, would dishonor him as well as the Jarls here."

"What is the meaning of this Liera?" Marrow stepped in front of her. "You promised me that we would bring Siglak to Justice, not let him live. My son is dead because of him, and I demand his head."

"Justice is ours to decide," Ulfric said.

"To oblivion with you damned jarls and you primitive sense of justice," Marrow shouted as he planted himself right in front of Ulfric and stared him dead in the eye."

"Guards!" Liera motioned to a pair of guards. "Escort Commander Marrow out."

Screaming the whole time that he would see me dead, Marrow was dragged out by four guards, seeing as the two proved insufficient to overpower.

"Why do you want me to live so badly?" I asked Liera. "You have already gone to great lengths to protect me from what I deserve."

Liera seemed taken aback at the question. "I believe that you're better than an assassin Siglak. You would not be here if that were not true." The last part, she spoke to the Jarls.

"Then let me die a noble death," I exclaimed.

"I would hate to see such a waste of a would be hero." She smiled suddenly. "I promise that I will plead for your life until your head rolls on the ground. If I would try so hard to help you, then it would dishonor me if you refused this help."

I nodded. I could hardly understand why she did this, but I conceded. "I, Siglak," I did not say 'Siglak son of Lorik' to save my father's name from the shame of being associated with mine. "Do hereby plead for the mercy of the nine Jarls of Skyrim."

Ulfric stood first as a sign that he accepted. Then came Balgruuf, followed by all the others but one. "Are you all fools," Exclaimed Elisif. "This man has confessed to murder, and worse, to treason. We must make an example of him."

"You have become far too Imperial Elisif," Ulfric said, softly, of all things. "And you," he said as he pointed to Liera, "You have become quite Nordic. Follow your heart, and you will be strong."

"Fine then, he is to be granted mercy." Elisif stood finally. "But now comes the matter of what to do about his punishment. He is granted mercy, not a full pardon."

"A thought has crossed my mind." Balgruuf spoke up. "Liera claims that he has potential to do great good. Perhaps then, he should be sent to erase a great evil from Skyrim."

"And what _Evil_ would that be?" Ulfric eyed Balgruuf suspiciously.

"I am grateful for this mercy, but if you ask me to join the Imperial legion, I must refuse," I said.

"Would you both let me finish," Balgruuf said. "Being a former member of the Dark Brotherhood, I suggest that Siglak aid Commander Marrow and Liera Ventilius in the destruction of this cult."

I saluted Balgruuf. "I will accept this quest as penance for the murders that I have committed."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Siglak

"It's out of our way," Liera protested.

"Not that far out of our way," Marrow argued. "Look, we need more men and I have some stationed at Dragon's Bridge. Maybe you think that you and your pet Nord can take them on alone, but I won't risk it, not when I am so close."

"It couldn't hurt," I said, quickening my pace towards Dragon's Bridge. "Though, be warned Marrow, you'll run into something you can't prepare for."

"I suppose you would know." He did not look back at me, but his hand tightened on his sword hilt until his knuckles were white.

I spoke softly, after all, the man deserved the right to hate me. "There will be two assassins…"

"You've already said that," Marrow exclaimed, "With the additional men, we can cut off any chance of them escaping."

"There's more to it." I could understand the man's anger, but if he didn't listen, then he would get himself killed, and I couldn't live with that. I already killed the son, I would not lead the father to his death. "There's one that looks like a small girl, but she isn't. She's a vampire, but she will use her appearance against you."

Marrow nodded slightly. "I'll be sure to burn her then."

"Gods," Liera gasped, "How does one prepare make himself burn a child?

"She is no more a child than I am. We are both of us skilled killers," I said. In truth, I had planned to be the one to kill Babette. She did look like a child, and I did not want Liera to bear that burden, or worse, for Marrow to. He had enough weighing on his soul already.

Dragon's Bridge came into view and when a Pentos Oculotus agent spotted Marrow, he called for the others and then stood at attention. Soon, others emerged from the Barracks. "Listen up!" Marrow paced back and forth in front of the two lines of his agents. "The Dark Brotherhood are like skeevers; just when you think you've killed them, there are always just a few more. But this time there are only two more. This time will be different. This time we'll wipe them out for good. Many of you knew my son and were grief-stricken by his death. This time, we _will_ avenge his death. This time we _will_ be victorious." The men began to cheer. "To Dawnstar!"

Marrow set a quick pace; it was just short of a run really. By the time the sun was low in the sky, we were already at Morthal. Marrow told us to camp outside the town, most likely to keep his agents from drinking and causing a ruckus. I built my own fire away from the others, though I could feel someone's eyes on me at all times.

My mind swirled as the flames consumed a fat log. I could hardly believe that I was still alive, and, more importantly, I could not believe that I was on this path. Would killing the Dark Brotherhood equal the evil that I had done? No! Nothing could make up for the people I killed, or the lives I ruined. Certainly it would not bring back what I had lost. At the snap of a twig behind me, I stood and spun around as I gripped my Katana, but it was only Liera. "If you want to sneak up on an assassin," I said sitting back down, "You'll have to do better than that."

"Whose Sneaking?" She sat down across from me and held her hands over the fire. "I just came to talk."

"About what? I already told you all I can about the Dawnstar sanctuary." She looked too solemn for it to be about that, and she had looked very solemn since we had set out. "What is it?"

"What happened to you?" I arched an eyebrow. I hardly understood what she meant. "You talk about the Empire wronging you and the Thalmor taking you. What exactly happened?" I stared into the fire silently. "You told me that I can't understand, but you never give me a chance to."

"When I killed the Emperor," I said slowly, "I asked him if he knew what the Thalmor did to their prisoners. He claimed that he didn't. Perhaps it was easier for him not to know. Are you sure that _you_ want to know? Would you really like to know when the rest of the Empire is content to look the other way?"

Liera nodded. "When I was with the Companions, I went to Northwatch Keep to rescue Thorald Grey-Mane from the Thalmor, and when I did, he had been tortured. Gods! Do all the Thalmor do this? How can this happen?" She looked at me with a sad pity that I had never seen before from her. She was many things, but she was not one to show pity, or at least not to me. "Was that what happened to you?"

I could not help but sigh. "Yes, and no. Yes, I was tortured often, but it lasted far longer that Thorald's could have, and the pain was the least of it." I imagined the bars of those cages around me again, and it was enough to make me shiver despite the fire's warmth. "The worst part was the unshakable feeling that the prison would be the rest of my life. There was a whole world off of that island, but I was kept on that miserable spit of land where I was told that I was nothing, that I would be a prisoner forever. I was told that I was going to die there. Every day I had to work hard not to let it show how much it hurt me. Who were they to hold me prisoner like that? And what of my sister, and Scar, and all of the others who didn't get to come home like I did? I want justice for what was done to them. Gods! I want eleven years of my life back." I nearly shouted the last words.

"I'm sorry for what they did to you, but does it really justify all of the killing? Will death bring those years back? It certainly won't bring back the dead." Liera sounded choked up, which made me feel guilty that I had even told my story. I did not mean project my hurt onto her, but it was a tale that could do nothing else.

"I am starting to realize that revenge leaves me with guilt, and with it, a new kind of hatred, but this time, for myself." But the worst part, the pieces of myself that I cast away and I would never get back, I left unsaid.

"There has to be a way to fill the void without revenge." Liera made a small groaning noise in the back of her throat.

"It's not as if this hatred fills my waking hours, it is merely something I cannot suppress when it comes about." Still, in those moments, it consumed me.

"Maybe it's not about avenging the dead," Liera said. "Maybe it's about remembering them, and honoring them." She tapped her Imperial uniform. "This is how my father would want me to honor him. How would the fallen want you to honor them?"

She made me think. Not just for that night, but for the rest of my life. That question would be what would guide my hands an all that I would ever do after that.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Siglak

"What is life's greatest illusion?" The haunting noise came from the large skull-marked, metal door.

"Innocence my brother." I answered back.

"Welcome home."

"Here we go men," Marrow said to his agents. "These assassins are skilled killers, but they don't know we're coming." He gestured to me. "The 'informant' will keep them busy while we move into our positions. Wait for the signal; you'll know it." He turned to me. "These men have placed their trust in me, and although I hate the idea, I must trust you. Try tip the assassins off, and I will make sure that the decision will hunted until the day I cut your head from your body."

"I swear on my soul that I will not betray that trust." Taking a deep breath, I pulled the hood up on my Brotherhood armor and descended into the sanctuary.

 _You think to betray us my child?_ That horrible voice clawed at the very essence my soul. _To do so will be to invoke the wrath of Sithis. Tell Nazir why you are here and together you will slay Commander Marrow and his men._ I brushed her words aside; I knew what I would do, and the poisonous voice would not convince me otherwise. The Night Mother's words did cause a different kind of fear and doubt to fill me, and the worst of it was yet to ring in my head. _To spill blood in the name of Sithis is your destiney; it always has been your destiney."_

I knew that I would never go back to being a slave to that voice, but that thought struck a chord that rang too true. I had been violent for so long, and I had heard the Night Mother in my dreams since returning to Skyrim. Was this really what the Gods had planned for me? I shook my head. _Wicked creature,_ I screamed in my head, _you have no power over me anymore! If this is what destiney intends, then I will shatter those chains and make my own path! Be gone from my head, and sink back into the void to embrace Sithis._ A rasping howl of anger echoed, but I paid it no mind. I had a job to do.

"Hail brother," Nazir said as I entered the large central chamber.

"Hail Brother." I looked around. "Where's Babette? I have so much to tell the both of you."

"Babette," Nazir called out. "The Listener is back!" He smiled at me, and for a moment; I almost felt pity for him, but then I remembered how he always laughed as I told him of who I killed and how. I didn't hate his bloodlust alone, nor did I hate the fact that he was an assassin. I hated Nazir because his love of the violence reminded me of myself. Babette arrived and smiled, trying to look innocent. "So tell us Listener, how much does killing an Emperor pay?"

"A couple dozen," I said. Marrow's agents were likely in place by now.

"Thousands or tens of thousands, or what?" Nazir said raising an eyebrow.

Babette looked around from side to side, and it suddenly occurred to me that she could likely hear better than most mortals. One bad step and my cover would be blown. Time to signal. "A couple dozen…arrows!" The last word was shouted and I dove to the side as Marrow's men seemed to come out of the walls and rain arrows down on Nazir and Babette.

Nazir died quickly from the barrage of fire that penetrated his body, but Babette slowly dragged herself to me. "We trusted you Listener." She looked up at me with a trembling lower lip, but her eyes glowed as if to remind me what she truly was.

"Three hundred years is a long enough life for anyone. I will pray for your soul, as I will pray for all that I have killed." I took a deep breath; fire was the best way to kill a vampire. "Yol!" I shouted, and Babette's tiny, unnatural body was engulfed in flames. Her screams of agony still haunt me to this day, for they were so much like that of a child's.

I thought that slaying the Dark Brotherhood would bring me peace, but looking at that charred corpse and Nazir's broken body, spiked with arrows, felt as much like murder as Victoria's death did. They were as much victims as all others who have ever been caught in the affairs of the Dark Brotherhood. Perhaps they had lived hard lives like I had. Certainly Babette could not have had an easy life, being made into a monster at such a young age. It was the Night Mother who was to blame, and Sithis who spoke through her.

I heard boots behind me, and I slowly realized that Marrow's men formed a circle around me. He stood with his great steel sword posed to attack and he lunged at me. I drew my blade just in time to parry. He kept coming at me ferociously with loud grunts as he grew more and more enraged that I was not dead, and then he missed me altogether as his blade hit the stone floor. In two swift moves I knocked the blade out of his hands and forced him to the wall with my blade against his throat. "Do it!" He shouted at me so loudly, that I could practically hear it hurt his throat. "Kill me like you killed my son. Then My men will kill you."

"And what will it solve? Say you did kill me, and you did avenge your son; would it have brought you peace?" I sheathed my blade. "I have killed out of vengeance as you seek to do, and I don't feel better, I don't feel at peace, I just feel empty. If your men kill me, then someone will try to avenge me, and someone will try to avenge them. When does it stop Marrow?"

"I don't care about that." He said picking up his sword and readying himself to attack again. "You have to pay for what you did."

I did not draw my blade. "If I deserve to die for my sins, then let an executioner chop off my head, or a hangman break my neck, but do not do it yourself. I have done you so much wrong, so I want to save you from poisonous vengeance." He took a step forward and raised his blade over his head. I turned around and kneeled. "The decision is yours Marrow; follow your heart." I heard the loud clang of his sword hitting the ground and even louder was the weeping that came from Marrow.

"What kind of man are you?" He sobbed openly in front of his men.

"I am sorry for what I have done to you and your son. Your mercy will weigh on me forever." I began to walk down the long corridor. "We should destroy this place, so no one can ever again rebuild the evil Brotherhood."

Leira, who was being held the whole time by two guards, stepped forward. "Two of you, go to Dawnstar and request the aid of the local miners. We'll collapse this whole rotten place. The rest of you, drag these corpses into the small room at the end of the hall so we can bury them in the rock."

I closed the door to the torture room behind me. Cicero's corpse still lay there.

Perhaps it was just irony that the key to my salvation was so close to where such a horrible act of violence had occurred, or maybe she watched over me even then. There was a large chest in the corner of that room dedicated to suffering, and curiosity caught hold of me where before I had overlooked it out of my obsession with the Emperor's death. As I swung the chest open, the light caught something for only an instant. Pushing aside the rusty iron sword and leather boots, I closed my hand around an odd shape. It was round, and yet it had flat edges. Pulling it out of the chest, I saw it for what it was. It was like a ball, a little bigger than my fist, and it was patterned like the combs of a bee hive.

Then, as I turned it over in my hand, it spoke. "A new Champion has found my Beacon. Bring it to my Shrine on Mount Kilkreath and I will make you the instrument of my cleansing light." I had not yet reached redemption, but it was a large step towards it.


	11. Closing Notes

I just wanted to thank my readers for following this story either following this story to the end or giving this story a chance. I do have more planned to for this series, and hopefully I can post the first chapter of _Dragonborn: Stormcloak_ soon. As always, read and review. Your comments help me to grow as a writer.


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